# Miss America 1933

Miss America 1933, the eighth Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 9, 1933. This was the first competition since postponing the event after the 1927 contest. Armand Nichols attempted to organize it with the support of the Mayor and City Council, but without support from either the Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce. or the Hotelsmens Association,
While the contestants of the pageants of the 1920s represented cities, usually sponsored by local newspapers, 1933 marked the change to state queens with little newspaper sponsorship. The lack of organizational infrastructure together with the decline of (free) newspaper support and advertising resulted in state qualifying contests that varied widely - from multi-day multi-city contests involving thousands, to a simple selection from a photo array.
The 1933 pageant, a five-day extravaganza on Tuesday-Saturday, September 5–9, 1933, was the first to be held at the Convention Hall (later renamed the Boardwalk Hall). Promised grand prizes (including a RKO screen test, theatrical contracts, Ford automobile, diamond wrist watch and a trip to Bermuda) enticed 31 contestants from 30 states nationwide, far fewer than the 48 state contestants originally planned.
Marian Bergeron, Miss Connecticut, was chosen Miss America but there was so much confusion during and after the vote tabulations that nobody informed Marian she had won. She was unaware of her victory until the dressing assistants placed the banner on her. At age 15 she is the youngest winner in the history of the Miss America Pageant.
The pageant was a public relations nightmare, financially unsuccessful, with a "Keystone Kops [sic] series of mishaps" including a stolen crown. Two contestants withdrew, four were disqualified, four were underage, and 18 states sent no contestant. Amid the contention and bickering there were allegations the contest was not on the "up and up" and judge Russell Patterson alleged undue influence, stating that Atlantic County treasurer and political boss Nucky Johnson tried to pressure the judges to choose his favorite. The pageant went on hiatus again the following year but was revived permanently in 1935 with new organization.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1933 | Connecticut – Marian Bergeron |
| 1st Runner-Up | New York – Florence Meyers |
| 2nd Runner-Up | California – Blanche McDonald |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Virginia – Evangeline Glidewell |
| Top 18 | District of Columbia – Rita Burns  Kentucky – Lucille Rader  Louisiana – Marjorie Hagler  Maine – Iva Stewart  Massachusetts – Elsie Taylor  Michigan – Barbara Strand  Mississippi – Dorothy Eley  Missouri – Marie LaTourette Marks  New Jersey – Gertrude Christman  Ohio – Corinne Porter  Pennsylvania – Geraldine Glassman  Washington – Gladine Sweetser  West Virginia – Mildred Fetty  Wisconsin – Marie Marguerite Huebner |

### Other awards - September 6: Most Beautiful Girl in an Evening Gown Competition

| Result | Contestant |
| Winner of the Evening Gown competition | New York – Florence Meyers |
| Second Place | New Jersey – Gertrude Christman |
| Third Place | California – Blanche McDonald |
| Semi-Finalists | Connecticut – Marian Bergeron  Maine – Iva Stewart  Michigan – Barbara Strand  New York City – Elsa Donath  Pennsylvania – Geraldine Glassman  Virginia – Evangeline Glidewell  Washington – Gladine Sweetser |

## Contestants

| State/City | Name | Hometown | Age | Placement |
| Arkansas | Vivian Ferguson | Little Rock | 21 | Disqualified - married |
| California | Blanche McDonald | Hollywood, Los Angeles | 18 | 2nd runner-up, #3 Evening Gown competition |
| Connecticut | Marian Bergeron | West Haven | 15 | Winner |
| Delaware | Victoria George | Newark | 19 | |
| District of Columbia | Rita Burns | Washington, D.C. | 19 | Top 18 |
| Idaho | Margaret Wittman | Spokane, Washington | 19 | Disqualified - residency |
| Illinois | Lillian Mary Kroener | St. Louis, Missouri | 18 | Disqualified - residency |
| Iowa | Eleanor Alma Dankenbring | Manning, Iowa | 20 | Disqualified - residency |
| Kansas | Pauline Sayre | Wichita | 23 | |
| Kentucky | Lucille Rader | Berea | 14 | Top 18 |
| Louisiana | Marjorie Hagler | Winnfield | 18 | Top 18 |
| Maine | Iva Stewart | Hebron | 19 | Top 18 |
| Maryland | Dorothy Dennis | Baltimore | 16 | |
| Massachusetts | Elsie Taylor | South Walpole | 23 | Top 18 |
| Michigan | Barbara Strand | Dearborn | 17 | Top 18 |
| Mississippi | Dorothy Eley | Moss Point | 24 | Top 18 |
| Missouri | Marie LaTourette Marks | St. Louis | 15 | Top 18 |
| New Hampshire | Letha Langley | Caribou, Maine | 19 | |
| New Jersey | Gertrude Christman | Ridgefield | 15 | Top 18, #2 Evening Gown competition |
| New Mexico | Julia Valdez | Albuquerque | 18 | |
| New York City | Elsa Donath | Bronx, New York City | 19 | withdrew |
| New York State | Florence Meyers | East Rockaway, Long Island | 21 | 1st runner-up, #1 Evening Gown competition |
| North Carolina | Leola Councilman | Bonlee | 20 | |
| Ohio | Corinne Porter | Youngstown | 19 | Top 18 |
| Oklahoma | Joanne Alcorn | Ponca City | 16 | withdrew |
| Pennsylvania | Geraldine Glassman | Philadelphia | 18 | Top 18 |
| Vermont | Nettina Anne Rich | Norton, Massachusetts | 19 | |
| Virginia | Evangeline Glidewell | Danville | 18 | 3rd runner-up |
| Washington | Gladine Sweetser | Seattle | 22 | Top 18 |
| West Virginia | Mildred Fetty | Clarksburg | 20 | Top 18 |
| Wisconsin | Marie Marguerite Huebner | Portage | 19 | Top 18 |